OrilliaMatters welcome letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter from Janet Shaw is in response to the article Sparks fly as council again defers decision on new fireworks bylaw.
Letter to the editor and open letter to Mayor Don McIsaac and city councillors on their decisions on allowing fireworks in our neighbourhoods:
I was flabbergasted when I read the recent article in OrilliaMatters about the city council considering the allowance of residents being able to light fireworks up to six times a year!
I understand that some councillors are weighing the decision and looking for input. So we are respectfully adding our opinion on this matter as taxpayers and residents of Orillia since forever.
We think there should be an all-out ban on residential fireworks. FULL STOP!
In this day and age when we are all thinking of cleaning up our environment and green space, it seems atrocious to be considering a bylaw which allows fireworks multiple times a year.
Last year our neighbours lit fireworks on many occasions right beside our garage and vehicles. The sparks were flying dangerously close. We had to move our cars onto the street until they stopped. Plus, our dogs were shaking and panicked all night.
With climate change becoming such a big factor in our lives, plus the increase in dangerous forest fires everywhere, adding a toxic blast of fireworks just does not make any sense at all.
I thought Orillia council was a forward-thinking group and I have been proud of the stance council members have made for our environment and safety for all citizens.
This is a major backwards step if you vote in a bylaw allowing up to six days of fireworks displays in our tranquil community.
It’s just so wrong and the opposite message we want to give our children and grandchildren who will be carrying on with the climate disaster we have left for them.
And please consider the trauma and fear that fireworks cause to wildlife and our pets.
I know we have had a number of sleepless nights trying to calm our dogs last summer. It’s a real medical issue!
Please look at all the green issues you stand for as Orillia’s City Council. Consider our environment.
Janet Shaw
Orillia
